Welt for boots or shoes.



G. F. DUNN. WELT FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1909.

983,695. Patented Feb. 7, 1911.

witnesses Inventor.- iflm (99 imww George F fizz/n12.

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GEORGE F. DUNN, 0F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM. B.ARNOLD, OF NORTH ABINGTO'N, MASSACHUSETTS.

WELT FOItBOOTS OR SHOES.

Application fi1ed February 8, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. DUNN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in XVelts for Boots orShoes, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to welts for boots and shoes as an article ofmanufacture.

In order that the principles of my invention may be readily understood,1 have disclosed one illustrative embodiment thereof in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view enlarged of the sole side ofa welt having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an inner edge viewof the welt shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the top side ofthe welt shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. f is a. transverse sectional viewillustrating one manner of use of the welt embodying my invention.

Volts for boots and shoes have previous to my invention been made ofindeterminate length and sold as articles of manufacture for use inGoodyear and McKay boots and shoes. Such welts have been provided upontheir inner edges with projections or teeth, as shown for example in thepatents to Villiam E. Arnold, No. 6%,592 and N0. 674L,831. Vhile weltsconstructed in accordance with said patents have been found efficientfor the purpose intended, my present invention seeks to improve the samein some respects, but is capable of embodiment in welts generally,whether or not they be provided with teeth or projections, and whetheror not such teeth or projections be of the character disclosed in saidpatents.

Welts constructed in accordance with the patents referred to as well asother welts upon the market have in the manufacture of Goodyear bootsand shoes been sewed to the insole in the usual manner. For the purposeof anchoring the stitches by which in Goodyear work the welt has beensecured to the insole, it has been common to provide a longitudinalchannel or groove along the sole face of-the welt, thus forming ashoulder against which the stitch brings up when tightened. Theformation of this ridge or groove has not only been an expensive onerequiring the use of special machinery, but

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 7,1911.

Serial No. 476,650.

it has weakened the Welt by reducing its thickness at this point.

In the practice of my invention, I have applied a shoulder to the soleface of the welt, preferably consisting of a strand applied to the weltin such manner as to serve as an anchor for the stitches by which it issewed to the upper. When this applied anchoring means or shoulder isused in connection with a welt of the type shown in the Arnold patents,it subserves certain other important functions entirely apart from thestitch anchoring feature. The teeth shown in said patents might undercertain condi tions become misplaced in applying the welt.

My invention contemplates providing one form of means for positioningsaid teeth or teeth of any other suitable formation, preferably bvsecuring them together, and preferably in such manner that in verticalsection the inner edge of the welt is sinuous in character, thusfacilitating the application of the welt to the boot or shoe. Moreover,if to position the projections or teeth I employ a strand such as abovereferred to, this acts also to reinforce the welt and the teeth orprojections thereof. In sewing into place a welt having a toothed inneredge, there is danger that the thread will pull or tear through suchedge, but by providing the applied shoulder or strand to serve as astitch anchoring shoulder, this danger is wholly avoided. The strand orapplied shoulder or other suitable construction peculiarly cooperateswith a welt having a reduced inner edge, whether the latter be producedby the formation of teeth or in any other suitable manner, inasmuch asthe inner edge of the welt is necessarily weakened by the reduction inthickness of its inner edge, and if provided with the customary stitchreceiving channel, it would be still further weakened, and there wouldbe great danger of the through and through stitching tearing its wayinto the thinner part or edge of the welt, but by the substitution of anapplied stitch anchoring shoulder, such as the de scribed strand or lineof stitching, the weakening necessarily occasioned by the reduction inthickness of the inner edge of the strand is compensated for. Thus Isecure the advantages of the reduced inner edge of the welt and avoidthe disadvantages thereof.

Referring specifically to the drawing, the welt of suitable material isindicated at 1, it

being preferably made of indeterminate length as an article ofmanufacture. The inner edge thereof is provided with teeth orprojections 2 preferably constructed in the manner disclosed in the saidArnold Patent No. 674,831 and overlapping as inclicated most clearly inFig. 2. It will therefore be understood that the toothed edge of thewelt is of reduced thickness. In order to position said teeth, therebyrendering more easy and rapid the application of the welt to the workand at the same time reinforce the same, I provide a line of stitches 3which furnish also a shoulder along the welt although I may lay beneaththe stitch or part thereof a strand 4 of suitable material, such forexample as a cord of proper diameter. The stitch anchoring shoulder orstrand or line of stitching is preferably applied and secured to thewelt along the roots of the teeth, that is, along substantially the baseof the said reduced edge. In this manner, the inner edge of the Welt isgiven a sinuous character in vertical sect-ion, as indicated clearly inFig. 2. This characteristic facilitates the bending of the welt intoshape conforming to that of the portion of the shoe to which it is to beapplied. More over the part 3 or 4, of whatever character and howeversecured, serves as an applied shoulder to anchor or position thestitches by which the welt may be secured to the insole and upper incertain kinds of work.

In Fig. 4, I have represented a Goodyear boot or shoe wherein the insole5 is provided with the usual stitch receiving and retaining channel 6and shoulder 7, the latter receiv ing the edge of the upper 8. The welt1 having been applied thereto in the manner indicated in said figure,the several parts are secured by through and through stitching, asindicated at 9, the part 3 or 4 serving as a guide to direct the Welterin stitching and to anchor the stitches as clearly indicated in saidfigure.

It is apparent that a welt constructed in accordance with my inventionis serviceable in both Goodyear and McKay work for the reasonsindicated. When the strand is used with a welt having projections orteeth upon its inner edge, it is preferably secured to the welt alongthe roots of the teeth as indicated. When used as a reinforcing or teethpositioning means, the strand may be secured to either face thereof, butis preferably secured tothe sole face.

It is apparent that a welt constructed in accordance with my inventionhas certain marked advantages over welts heretofore constructed. Nospecial tool is required to form a stitch anchoring means. The cord orstrand may be sewed or otherwise secured thereto or may be formed as aline or lines of stitching, far more rapidly than it has been customaryheretofore to groove the welt to provide the anchoring means. Moreoverthe "strand does not weaken, or reduce the thickness of the welt, but onthe contrary provides a reinforcing means. Moreover, when the welt is ofthe type having projections or teeth upon its inner edge, the strandserves also to position the teeth and to impart the described sinuousshape thereto to facilitate their application to the boot or shoe.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, Idesire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes oflimitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the followingclaims.

Claims.

1. As a new article of manufacture, a welt of indeterminate lengthhaving an applied, relatively narrow, stitchanchoring shoulder ofmaterial other'than the welt, extending longitudinally thereof andsecured to its sole face adjacent its inner edge and presenting a welldefined elevation from said sole face of the welt body between thethrough and through stitching and said inner edge, thereby to anchorsaid stitching.

2. As an article of manufacture, a welt of indeterminate length havingits inner edge of reduced thickness and an applied stitch anchoringreinforcement for said reduced inner edge secured to and extendinglongitudinally of the welt and adjacent its inner edge but sufficientlyspaced therefrom to leave exposed the reduced portion thereof.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a welt of indeterminate lengthhaving its inner edge of reduced thickness and a stitch anchoring strandextending longitudinally of the welt and secured to the sole facethereof along substantially the base only of said reduced inner edge.

4:. As an article of manufacture, a welt having its inner edge providedwith projections and with positioning means for said projections.

5. As an article of manufacture, a welt having its inner edge providedwith overlapping projections and with means to secure said projectionstogether.

6. As an article of manufacture, a welt having its inner edge providedwith proj ections and an applied stitch anchoring reinforcement for saidprojections.

7. As an article of manufacture, a welt having its inner edge providedwith reinforced projections.

8. As an article of manufacture, a welt having its inner edge providedwith projections and with combined stitch-anchoring means andpositioning means for said projections.

9. As an article of manufacture, a welt means secured to said Welt alongthe roots of In testimony whereof, I have signed my said teeth. name tothis specification, in the presence 10. As an article of manufacture, aWelt of two subscribing Witnesses. having its inner edge provided withpro GEORGE F. DUNN. 5 ject-ions and an applied reinforcement forVitnessesz.

said projections terminating short of and EVERETT S.E1\IERY leaving freethe tip ends of said project-ions. IRVING U. TOWNSEND.

